The first week box office collections of Humshakals Rs 56.35 crores from domestic collections has been good. Did it match your expectations?

Yes they did, but I was not really bothered about the collections. Prior to Humshakals I would only talk about collections and not consider the likability of the film. My only concern was that I wanted people to enjoy themselves and understand the fun element in the film. The film has done very well in Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi. I hope it crosses the 100 crore mark, but I don’t think it will because Ek Villain has taken a very good initiative, so the number of screens for Humshakals will automatically go down.

The critics have not been too kind to the film, but the audience have. So, what kind of feedback have you been getting?

I never said that it was a great film but some of my critic friends did not understand the film. I guess that usually happens in a comedy where some people like it and some don’t. There were a lot of positive comments but no one highlighted that.

Good reviews matter when your film does not do well. The reviews mattered when Himmatwala flopped. Humshakals is a hit film, the reviews don’t make much of a difference. When I went to watch the film in the theatres I was very happy to see the families enjoying themselves.

The children have liked the ‘pagal‘ Saif and Riteish and the ladies are enjoying the part where Saif and Riteish became women.

Some of my friends have liked it while others said it was a little too childish. Some said there should have been more adult jokes but my primary target audience is family so I avoid that space.

How did the failure of Himmatwala affect you?

Himmatwala not being successful was a big triumph for me as a person. You can say I grew up with the film. Before that I had become over confident since all my films were doing well. In fact, till then I had never given myself any credit as a director, but saw myself as a successful director; that was wrong. I was not bothered about making a good film but was interested in making a hit film. Himmatwala‘s failure hit me. Sometimes a wound is good for you and in this case my wound (my film not doing well) was like a tattoo. I was a

More from Showbiz

Mortality matters: Being MortalBeing Mortal is a new-age guide to dying that has something for everyone. The author, also a surgeon, penetrates the inner world of the dying as succinctly as he puts his surgeon’s fibre-optic probe into a body cavity